October 31, 2010
Development impossible without removing the CPM: Mamata
An inspiring speech went out to a capacity crowd who attended the rally at the Sainik School Grounds, Purulia. The Trinamool chief’s message was clear: Vote for Trinamool Congress for development. “Had Trinamool Congress not been born, there wouldn’t have been anybody to fight CPM. Trinamool is not for sale. I know of parties that have sold out to CPM. Purulia is a beautiful land of hungry people. The soil is red, but not with blood, which CPM is spilling across the state. Till recently, nearly all MPs and MLAs from this district belonged to CPM. What have they done for development? Of the 1,400 villages in the district, over a thousand are below the poverty line,†the Trinamool supremo said. Reasserting her position that the Maoist issue was nothing more than a bogey raised by CPM to serve its purpose, the Trinamool chief said, “How can Trinamool be responsible for Maoist activity in the state? We are not in power here. It is CPM that has brought in the Maoists. Just before elections, when they realise that everything is lost, CPM creates bogeys like this. At one time, it was KLO. Today, it is the Darjeeling issue and the Maoists. When Jangalmahal demanded food, the state government branded people as Maoists and sent them to jail. Why is the law-and-order situation so bad in the state? Why didn’t Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee stop the Maoists when they had not gained too much ground?†On the issue of development, Ms. Banerjee said, “Why aren’t there any factories in Purulia? Doesn’t the government know that the land here is harsh and farmers have to depend on the rains to harvest their crops? What took the state so long to declare this district a drought-hit one? At one time, the state used to crib it is not getting enough from the Centre. Today, it is pocketing the funds being sent for development.†Ms. Banerjee pointed out that youngsters from the district were being forced to take up jobs in stone quarries in Rajasthan and other menial jobs elsewhere. “Why couldn’t the state arrange for jobs here? I will develop this district. But for this, we will have to be voted to power. Ensure that a single vote doesn’t go to CPM. You, too, have rights like anybody else and don’t have to run around for jobs. Don’t trust CPM any longer,†she said.
